Caroline Mauro

Caroline Mauro shares about finding the light during a dark time that illuminated her life path from which INDA creations was born. Now she creates healing products, inspired by Mama Earth. Be captivated by beauty, soul, and the incredibly rich sense of style and purpose that Caroline brings to her work.

What is your soul+work?

My mission is to use my creativity to aid in healing, spread positivity and love and help amplify spiritual development and personal growth. I founded INDA Creations to design meaningful, spiritual pieces and intentional products as sources of strength and protection to help others heal.

Take us on the journey of how you transitioned from fashion stylist to the founder of a healing product line.

As long as I remembered I have always been passionate about creativity and the arts. Dress-up was my favorite activity when I was a little girl and I always had a paint brush in hand. I loved expressing myself through clothing, adornments and art.

Over the last decade, my professional background prior to INDA lies in art direction and fashion styling. I spent a decade styling in metropolitan areas, working in wardrobe on TV sets, styling artists for album covers, working with high end luxury designers at Barneys New York under Creative Director Dennis Freedman, etc. While I was always passionate about working in such creative spaces, after years in the Big Apple hustle, I became burnt out and was seeking more meaning and purpose behind the creative work I was doing.

...hiking in Vermont, I came across a small charm that was the exact design of the tattoo my friend had on his back. Shortly after, I made the charm into a necklace. The necklace... served as a new sense of purpose for me… it was on my travels amongst the trees... that my true calling finally showed itself...

I didn't have an "aha moment" per say but my last year in NYC about 5 years ago, I spent the entire winter in the mountains on weekends and the shores of Rhode Island all summer, where I grew up. I slowly realized I connected more with myself when I was in nature. Being in NYC helped me develop my skills in the fashion world but I always felt like something was missing... Moving to Boston allowed me to be closer to the places I love to escape to for inspiration. I tend to pull my inspiration from the beauty of nature from my own travels and try to hunt and source all of the stones I use on every trip or journey I embark on.

How was INDA born?

INDA was founded on a personal story of loss and a journey to healing. My best friend had passed away and I was growing disillusioned that I had not received a sign from him - a dream, an idiosyncrasy that couldn’t be ignored, a vision… I traveled and searched for signs from him everywhere and found I felt most connected to him and myself, when I was exploring and adventuring on the road and in nature.

On one of these adventures, hiking in Vermont, I came across a small charm that was the exact design of the tattoo my friend had on his back. Shortly after, I made the charm into a necklace. The necklace gave me solace and strength, helped me heal and most importantly served as a new sense of purpose for me… it was on my travels amongst the trees, feeling free as ever yet grounded in mother nature, that my true calling finally showed itself: designing products to help others heal. I taught myself how to wire wrap and choose crystals as my medium because of the healing properties they provide and began further developing products that serve as tools for the wellness journey.

How do you live differently?

Travel is a big part of my life and a pillar of INDA. In the last year, I spent the winter in Central America in Nicaragua, then moved to a small ski town in Eden, Utah, then to the farm for the summer before settling back in Boston. Each place was profoundly life changing. They all required unplugging and also pushed me way outside my comfort zone and helped me set intentions for what I saw for INDA. I realized how important is us for us a society to search inward, go outside and unplug and develop a strong relationship with ourselves through living in places that are off the grid. All the travel experiences while challenging empowered me + connected me with myself. I wanted to share this idea with others. My intention is to share my own tales and experiences with other fellow wanderers so that hopefully we can all inspire each other and toencourage others to live a more intentional and spiritual life. INDA emphasizes that everything [we] needs to feel empowered is inside of [us] and around [us] in nature.

Yes, please! Tell us about farm life. What lights you up about getting disconnected?

Spending time in Vermont (on the farm where my herbs and flowers are grown and harvested) has taught me so much. Vermont made me realize how important it is tolive simply, consciously and thoughtfully. Many times we sleep in the living room by the wood burning stoves on mattresses, take long night hikes, spend time with the goats and chickens doing rounds and showering outdoors. When living on the farm last summer, I became so connected with nature, growing, cultivating and consuming plants, herbs and flowers. My dear friend, Becca, an herbalist and farmer, taught me so much about herbs and their extensive healing properties.

I thought the herbal blends would be a great alternative for people who enjoy the ritual of smoking and herbs but try to avoid the psychoactive properties... I love that the herbal blends are multi purpose and can be used as a tea blend, bath soak, incense in your carry on’s, etc. I am looking forward to furthering this accessibility this Spring, launching all natural beauty products under the INDA brand, made from herbs and flowers grown on the farm.

Unplugging was not a choice, but rather a way of life; my life was ruled by nature, the tides, the moonlight, and the howler monkeys who woke me up at 8am. It was such an important and invaluable lesson for me to stop and listen to our planet and her creatures, appreciate her greatness,

How are you changing the world?

I am a heavy believer in conscious consumption and I saw a huge hole in the market when researching products for women to support this. I wanted to design something that women could use and enjoy when consuming but was discrete. Most of the products I saw were targeted to male consumers, lacked sophistication and catered to growers, stoners and industry experts only. How was it that 40% of cannabis users are female but there were hardly any products that spoke to us? I wanted to solve this problem by creating a functional, feminine, fashionable product that supported women in their every day use. I am so thrilled at being a part of the movement of empowering women in their cannabis journey and creating a new kind of cannabis culture supporting women.

What is one of the greatest issues we face today and how can we contribute to making the world a better place?

I believe Global Warming is the greatest issues we face today and I feel causes like Sierra Club and World Wildlife Fund do amazing work to protect our earth.

I am also passionate about The CBD Foundation. The CBD Foundation believes in supporting research, cultivation, information, and ways to help break through the negative stereotypes surrounding Medical Marijuana and raises awareness. I believe that CBD has the power to heal and believe in this organizations mission to raise awareness about the multitude of medicinal applications of cannabidiol (CBD) and other cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant and to help facilitate the delivery of the highest quality medicine to those in need.

I also believe making the world a better place can also be achieved simply by paying it forward and practicing random acts of kindness, living mindfully and being the person we are all called to be.

Share with us a story from a recent journey?

As I mentioned, my most profound travel journey was living in Nicaragua last year. When I packed my bags, got rid of out apartment, sold most of my belongings and hopped on a plane, I never thought I could come back so profoundly affected. Everything I was searching for I received with overwhelming abundance.

Unplugging was not a choice, but rather a way of life; my life was ruled by nature, the tides, the moonlight, and the howler monkeys who woke me up at 8am. It was such an important and invaluable lesson for me to stop and listen to our planet and her creatures, appreciate her greatness, be mindful for her and bask in her glory.

This brand is something that I lived and then created for people to help them search within and heal. The hardships I faced is what this brand comes from... offer[ing] alternative healing modalities that rely on the holistic healing approach and treating yourself through products inspired by nature and plants.

In Nica, I met friends of all ages who took care of me, showed us how to live and opened their hearts to me at a very special beach and micro community I stumbled upon (not really, the universe brought us there). Forever grateful for the kind locals who never stopped smiling despite their misfortunes, the wanderers + the creatives who provided endless inspiration, and the expats who settled there, who have chosen to live life differently and helped teach me the NICA way... Living simply, sustainably, and mindfully has been ingrained on me since my visit.

Where can we find you wandering this summer?

INDA has a pretty packed summer schedule! We will be a featured vendor at Wanderlust Festival in Stratton, Vermont in June. Wanderlust Festivals are all out celebrations of mindful living and offer a remarkable group of yoga and meditation instructors, musicians, speakers, chefs and attendees to a transformational experience. We will also be vending at Wild Vibes Festival in Southern Maine in July, a festival focusing on yoga, music, and art that offers unique experiences that value mindful movement & holistic well-being, education & awareness, and sustainability & community contribution.

Despite all the sunshine and travels, entrepreneur life can be hard. What have you learned from the difficulty?

As I mentioned, the inception of the brand came out of finding light during a very dark time in my life. When challenged in adversity and hardships, I have learned to turn inward and rely on my spiritual practice to learn and grow. This brand is something that I lived and then created for people to help them search within and heal. The hardships I faced is what this brand comes from. It’s challenging to move through the hard times without the numbing techniques that our society is quick to encourage these days. I want to do the opposite and offer alternative healing modalities that rely on the holistic healing approach by treating yourself through products inspired by nature and plants.

What keeps you going and what motivates you daily?

Stories from customers about how their INDA products have helped them on their personal journeys towards healing. Someone shared with me that their grandmother was grieving over the loss of her sister who had suddenly passed away. Through wearing one the crystal necklaces I created, she was able to move through her grief faster and elevated her feelings of hope and helped and advanced her healing process. Another customer shared with me that she and her fellow Reiki practitioners regularly wear their INDA necklaces to protect themselves when treating patients who have experience heavy trauma. Sometimes the moving energy gets intense for them and the stones have helped them feel more protected and grounded. They also use the stones with the patients to soothe them. These stories inspire me to stay on my path and to create new products.

Collaboration and community is also a daily motivator. Starting INDA has allowed me to connect with inspiring female business owners, makers and amazing Instagram friends that have now turned into family. I feel truly grateful each day to have this platform that allows me to connect with such special people and cultivate a community of like minded beings blazing their own trails and journeys.

What helps you be a soul+worker?

Journey to the Heart by Melody Beady is my go to for daily inspiration. I share her daily meditations with my followers every day in my story and have found it an awesome way to connect with my community and share her positive messages and meditations.

What are you learning?

Words to live by?

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again.

Caroline Mauro is the founder and chief curator of INDA Creations. She is a former fashion stylist for Barneys New York (E-Commerce Division) and a former Senior Stylist and Art Director at Ruelala in Boston, where she worked with hundreds of brands. A yogi, hiker and nature enthusiast, Caroline is also a lover of travel. She gathers design inspiration, as well as her jewelry’s stones and crystals, from her global adventures. When she is not traveling, she splits residency between Boston, Massachusetts and the organic farm in Stockbridge, Vermont where her small-production herbs and flowers are grown and harvested with love.